Step by Step

New Year always bring to mind New Year’s resolutions. It used to be intrinsically important to personally make one …but I think the tradition has lost much of its impetus.
I do not hear people so much any more seriously making resolutions for the New Year.

I think that may be for several reasons...
1. Time passes so quickly we haven’t had time to even think of a resolution (tongue in cheek)
2. People are not as driven for perfection as they use to be. (We have lowered the standards we set for ourselves.)
3. It is not in our ability to aim with any accuracy most goals set in the distant future.

It is this last reason that I had some thoughts about that I want to share with you.

Being directionally challenged (as my faithful readers know) I do not like to take directions from someone who does not understand this weakness in my makeup.
They will say “Just go to such and there and turn right at the west lights and if you follow the straight curve around and turn left as soon you have turned right , you will be facing our house !”
And yes... that is just how confusing it sounds to me...and yes I have every problem reaching my destination.
I love people who say ...”Where are you now? Ok... then take one step, then turn right…and you will see a purple tower. At the purple tower take two steps left and you will see a green house… pass the house and immediately after you will you will see a sign with an arrow… turn in the direction the arrow points and go for several more steps. Then you will find yourself at a cross road… turn left and take six steps and you will hear a barking dog standing on a pink front porch on your right …You have arrived - That is our house!”

I can ‘follow’ those directions just fine !!! I’m being a little light hearted here on this last day of the year…but I think there is a truth here.

We are not called sheep without reason. Sheep don’t find their own pasture, they need a Shepherd to lead them and they will follow… step by step.
When we make our own resolutions or plan our own destinations… often we have no idea of the cards life will deal us along the way, how many unknown detours will block our chosen path, how circumstances will change … how the world itself may change. And so our resolutions and our plans fail because we get ‘lost’ along the way.

Let us determine that in this coming year we will be trusting ‘followers’ - step by step- through the year as our Lord Shepherd leads, beginning just where we are.
If we will do this, the end of 2008 will find all of us having arrived at exactly the ‘right destination’.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Prov. 16:9)